We're Like a Real Family Right?
by ThanagarianAmazon
Summary: Robin has been killed in the Enchanted Forest and Roland needs a place to stay. Will he choose Regina or Zelena? And how will he adjust to life back in Storybrooke? (Part of my Dragon Swan Queen series)
1. Chapter 1

Something was wrong, of that, they were all certain.

After Robyn was born, Zelena had tried her best to make amends with the people around her. Which was why she had named the girl after her father. She wanted him to know that she was not only sorry for tricking him but also that she was willing to co-parent with him, whether either of them liked it or not. She was not planning on kicking Robin our of their daughter's life.

However, a couple months after Robyn's birth he left all by himself.

Robin had tried to live in Storybrooke after his breakup with Regina, yet he just could not adjust to the modern day town. He belonged in the forest.

It took a little time, and some help from Regina and Zelena, but eventually got his hand's on a multiplication charm to use on the magic portal beans. Since then, he had taken his son and his Merry Men back to the Enchanted Forest.

Then, for one weekend every month, he and Rolan would return to Storybrooke to visit Robyn... and so his son could get ice cream with Regina and Zelena.

Roland loved spending time with both of them since they were both like mothers to him. They had changed his memories to where he remembered Zelena taking care of him and not a fake version of Marian.

Every month for a year and a half this arrangement had worked, which was why they all knew something was wrong when neither Robin or Rolan had not shown up for three months.

"Robin may not have been the best boyfriend, but he is a good father. He wouldn't miss time with his daughter if he could help it. So where the hell is he?" Regina asked as she sat in-between her lovers across from her sister and Belle, with Robyn sitting between them, in their favorite booth at Granny's.

"No idea," Zelena said after taking a sip of coffee, "but I'm honestly starting to get worried about him and Roland."

"Ro?" Robyn perked up at the sound of her big brother's name and began looking around for him.

Belle ran her hand through the toddler's hair, "Sorry little one, Roland isn't here yet." Her heart panged as Robyn's face fell.

"Don't worry, Monkey." Zelena put her arm around her daughter, "I'm sure you'll see him soon enough," she said hoping she was right.

The reassurance did not seem to help though as Robyn continued to pout.

"Hey, Robyn, look," Mal distracted the young girl by pointing to one of the coloring placemats in front of her and magically changing it to a picture of an elephant just like her favorite stuffed toy.

Robyn smiled and grabbed the nearby crayons and began scribbling the elephant green.

Belle and Zelena mouthed a thank you to Mal while all them grinned at the now distracted toddler.

"So can anyone think of a way to reach them, so we can figure out what's going on?" Emma said going back to the conversation.

Zelena shook her head, "Not unless we go the Enchanted Forest ourselves."

Maleficent looked up from watching Robyn color. "I'm worried about the boy, and his father too I suppose," she muttered that last part making the others smirk, "however, would it be wise to risk going back to the forest? We wouldn't know what we would be walking into and we do have other responsibilities here." She gestured to Robyn as an example.

"It's much safer now though," Belle spoke up. "Since we learned how to duplicate the beans from those charms you two made," she nodded to the Mills sisters. "That is how Robin has been getting here every month after all."

"Until now," the dragon said pointedly.

"Mal's right," Emma said as she took a fry from her plate. "There's no telling what may be going on back there, no way to prepare." She frowned as Regina swiped the fry from her hand and popped it into her own mouth.

The mayor flashed the sheriff a sweet smile before speaking, "I would agree if it was just Robin we were talking about. He can take care himself, but Roland is only seven."

"Exactly," the redhead agreed with her sister, "As much as I hate having to share my daughter, I miss Roland. If something's happened..." she trailed off not finishing the sentence. She and Regina both looked at each other grimly. Both of them dreaded the idea of anything happening to the boy.

Belle reached for her girlfriend's hand, "Then I guess we have a decision to make."

"Let's put it to vo..." Emma was cut off by her phone ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the collar ID before answering.

"Hey, Dad." She was quiet for a few moments as she listened, then her eyes went wide, "What kind of portal?"

The question got all the adults attention. They all shared a look before Emma spoke up again, "Okay, we'll be in there in a few."

"What's happened?" Regina asked as Emma put her phone away.

"Not sure. He just said we all need to get down to the station. Now."

"Us too?" Zelena pointed to herself and Belle.

"That's what he said."

"Well then," Mal stood up, "I suggest we get going."

Zelena packed away her daughter's art supplies with a promise that she can play with them later. Belle stood and put the girl on her hip as Regina left the money for their meal on the table.

As soon as they were all out the door, Maleficent summoned her magic to poof them all to the station.

* * *

Once the group appeared in front of the sheriff's station they immediately entered to see David sitting at his desk. In front of him, with his back to the women, was a little boy with very recognizable curly hair.

"Roland?" both of the Mills sisters exclaimed at the sight of him.

The young boy turned and had an instant smile on his face at the sight of the women, "Regina! Zelena!"

Roland leaped to his feet so quick he knocked over the chair he was sitting in. He rushed straight into the arms of both women who had both kneeled down to his height.

"Ro!" Robyn started to squirm in Belle's arms trying to get to her brother. As soon as she was placed on the ground she wiggled between her mother and her aunt to hug Roland around his neck. The sisters laughed as they were pushed out of the way by the toddler.

"Hey, sissy." Roland giggles as Robyn nuzzles herself against him.

David had then walked over to Emma and whispered loud enough so that Mal and Belle could hear him too, "A portal opened up right outside, but he's the only one who came through. He won't tell me what happened or where Robin is."

That's when they noticed how drained Roland looked. His clothes were ruffled, which was not very surprising since he had been living in a forest. However, his eyes seemed to have lost some of their light and he looked like he had not slept in a while.

As he held onto his sister and still felt Zelena and Regina's hands on his back, he looked like he could break down from relief, as if he was being comforted after waking up from a nightmare.

The sisters must have noticed as well because they shared a look before turning to the boy.

"Roland?" the redhead asked softly, "Can you tell us what happened? Where have you been these last few months?"

The young boy looked up at them and bit his lip as if trying to fight back tears.

Zelena reached over and pulled Robyn away from her brother, which the toddler immediately began to protest, "Don't worry Monkey, you can play with Roland later. He's not going anywhere."

That must have satisfied her since she did not cry any further when her mother handed her back up to Belle. They all then turned their attention back to the boy.

"Roland, it's okay to be scared," Regina spoke softly, "but we need to know what happened so we can help."

Roland was quiet for a minute. His lip trembled as she tried to speak. All he could say was, "Daddy..." before the tears began to flow and fell forward into Regina and Zelena's arms.

"I'll leave you guys alone for a bit," David whispered again before turning to leave.

"Would you mind taking Robyn with you?" Belle asked, thinking it would be best that the girl did not see her big brother so upset.

David nodded and reached for the toddler, "Sure. Come on Robyn, we'll go for a walk while your moms and aunts talk." He reached out to take the stuffed elephant that Belle had pulled from her bag, knowing Robyn would not protest as much if she had it with her.

When David and Robyn left Regina stood and gently took Roland's hand in hers. She guided him into Emma's small office and had him sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk as she sat on the other. Zelena stood by Regina and leaned against the desk as the others went to stand on the other side of it, close enough to be there but not to crowd the boy.

"Roland darling, can you please tell us what happened?" Regina reached out to wipe some of the tears off his face.

"A lot," Roland mumbled, still looking like he could break down at any moment.

"Can you be a bit more specific sweetie?" Zelena smiled down at him to try to calm him. Though, it did not seem to work as Roland bit his lip to try to stop it from shaking.

"Roland?" Belle coaxed the boy to look at her. "You know you're safe here right? Nothing bad will happen. You're with family now," she said with a smile.

Roland finally gave a small smile back and then looked at Emma and Mal who smiled back.

"She's right, kid." Emma sat down in her chair behind her desk, "If there's one thing we're good at around here it's keeping each other safe. No matter what."

"Take your time Roland," Mal sat down on the arm of Emma's chair. "We're not going anywhere. Take a deep breathe and tell us when you're ready."

Roland nodded and did just that. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes were still watery as he began to speak more calmly than before.

"Three months ago... we went to a small village to rest and Dad thought that was a good time to go on our trip to Storybrooke. But right before he was about to use the bean...the village was attacked.

"I overheard Dad and my uncles saying their armor looked like the kind King George's armies used to wear. That they must have come back to the forest after the last curse broke and wanted to conquer all of it for themselves.

"I didn't know much about what they were talking about, but Dad kept telling me not to worry and that everything would be okay...but it wasn't.

"It was like a small war had started and my dad and my uncles fought with people from neighboring villages every day to protect those people there. The other army wasn't very big but they defiantly knew how to fight.

"A few days ago it finally looked like our side was about to win. Uncle John found where they had been setting up camp in the woods and they planned to ambush them the next day. Dad even said that we would probably be in Storybrooke by the next evening, but..." Roland sniffled as tears started to pour again.

"Go on sweetie," Zelena crouched down in front of him. "But what?"

"They left at sunrise and promised they would be back before dark...but they didn't. I waited with some of the other villagers until nightfall, but Daddy and my uncles still weren't there.

"I wanted to go...to go out and look for them but the grown-ups wouldn't let me. They made me stay there to try to sleep, but I just stayed awake all night...and then..." he swallowed and tried to calm down again.

"Then when the sun came up I was going to go outside to see if they were back yet...but that's when Uncle John finally stepped through the door...I could tell from...from his face that something was wrong...He gave me my dad's bow and quiver," Roland pointed out to the main area of the station where the bow and quiver were leaned against David's desk.

"He said that Dad fought hard and saved a lot of people and that the battle was all over and the village was safe, but my dad...," his voice cracked on the last word.

"Uncle John said the leader of the army had been shot in the leg and nobody thought he would still fight...until he reached for the bow he dropped and shot my dad in the back...He's dead...just like my mom...he's dead."

Zelena immediately kneeled down and Roland fell into her arms again as he began to sob. Regina kneeled by her sister, she held them both and ran her hand through the boy's hair in comfort. They both kissed him on his head as they whispered to him soothingly.

All the women's eyes had started to water after listening to what the child had been through. Emma leaned into Mal's side as a few tears leaked out, thinking about how yet another kid was now an orphan. Maleficent put one arm around her lover as her other hand reached out to hold Belle's who look just as distraught.

Several minutes passed before the crying began to lessen and the sisters slowly let go of Roland.

"Sweetie?" Regina spoke softly while still running a hand up and down his arm, "Can you tell us how you got back to Storybrooke?"

"Uncle John asked me yesterday if I would rather stay with him and the rest of my uncles or come back here. He gave me a couple of the beans my dad had made from the charm and said it was my decision. I said goodbye to them this morning and came here. I love them, but I just couldn't stay there anymore. Was that okay? That I came here?" he asked the question in a smaller voice as looked around the room to each of the adults.

"Of course it's okay, Roland," Belle walked around the desk and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. "You're family. You will always be welcome here."

"Belle's right, love. You will always have a home here with us," Zelena smiled at him and the smile grew when Roland hugged her again.

"Thank you," he whispered as he allowed himself to be held. He then peeked up from Zelena's shoulder to Regina. "Can we get ice cream?"

All the adults chuckled as Regina ruffled Roland's curls again. "Of course we can. Let's go."

She and Zelena held Roland's hands as they all walked out of the station. They saw David coming up the sidewalk outside and Robyn was handed back to Belle before he went back to the station.

Emma got in front of the sisters and kneeled down with her back slightly toward them, "Wanna ride kid?" Roland had always loved it with Emma gave him piggyback rides.

His smile was small but he nodded and climbed onto the blonde's back.

"Perhaps afterward we can go to the park? We can call Henry and him and Neal meet us there if you want?" Emma looked over her shoulder to look at him.

"Yes, please."

"I'll text Henry," Mal whispered to Regina, "You text Snow."

Regina nodded and happily noted that Roland's smile widened at the idea of seeing his friends again.

* * *

Later that day, with Roland's tummy full of rocky road ice cream, he and Neal were running away from Henry in a game of tag. Robyn held onto Henry's neck from her place on his back, enjoying the free ride through the park. Each of the kids was smiling, yet it was clear to the women watching them that the light that normally shined in Roland's eyes were still dimmed.

The five of them sat on a nearby picnic table, seated exactly like they were earlier at the diner.

"So, how are we gonna handle this?" Emma asked looking around at the other women.

"Well, if he's going to stay here he'll certainly have to start back to school at some point," Belle pointed out. "He hasn't been formally educated since he left for the forest."

"That's my Bookworm," Zelena smirked, "always thinking about the boring stuff. Ouch!" she cried out as her lover elbowed her.

"She's right though," Regina smiled at the two before turning back to watch the children, "but let's wait for him to adjust some. This can't be easy for him."

Zelena nodded as her grin disappeared and was replaced by a worried frown. "Should I...What do you guys think I should tell Robyn? She's bound to ask about her father at some point. She knows that if Roland is here then her father should be too. How much should I explain to her?"

"She hasn't asked yet," Belle squeezed the redhead's hand. "Perhaps she'll be distracted by her brother being here that she won't. Robyn normally plays with Roland more when they visit anyway. And if she does we'll just have to tell her the truth and remind her that she still has us, all of us."

Zelena smiled at her lover, thankful to have her in both hers and Robyn's lives. She then turned to her sister, "What about Roland? Where is he gonna stay?"

Roland had a room at both of their houses and normally stayed with both of them for a night during his monthly visits. The sisters knew that if Roland was going to adjust to life back in Storybrooke that he would need a permanent home instead of just switching between the two.

"I suggest we allow him to decide," Mal spoke up when she saw the pensive looks on her lover's and best friend's faces.

They all knew that both the sisters would love for the young boy to stay with them, as would their lovers, honestly. But ultimately it was Roland's life and he should decide, not them.

That was when all of the kids came back over to the adults, each still laughing and slightly sweaty from running around.

Neal was quick to climb up in Maleficent's lap, making the dragon smile and hug him tightly. Henry sat in the spot next to his aunt and Roland sat on his knee. Zelena felt a tug at her sleeve and looked behind her at her daughter.

"Goldfiss peez?"

The redhead grinned as she pulled out the little baggy full of crackers from her purse and handed them to the girl who had squirmed herself between her mother and Belle.

"Hey, Roland?" Emma got the kid's attention, "Come here, buddy."

Roland walked over to stand between her and Regina. As Emma placed an arm around him she said, "We have something to ask you."

"What is it?" Roland suddenly looked nervous. A small part of him wondered if the adults were gonna want to send him back.

"It's nothing bad, darling," Regina runs her hand through his hair hoping to relieve the boy's stress. "We just need to know where you would like to stay. With Henry and us," she gestured to her lovers and herself, "or with your sister, Belle, and Zelena?"

Roland bit his lip as he looked at each of them. He did not want to make any of them sad by not choosing them.

Belle picked up on the boy's fear, "None of us will be upset, no matter what you choose Roland."

"She's right," Mal said as she stopped Neal from reaching across the table to steal Robyn's snack and used her magic to conjure his own. "You need to choose the way that will make you more comfortable."

"We all just want what's best for you," Emma looked directly into the kid's eyes as she spoke. "So don't worry about anything else."

Roland nodded before looking around the table once again before turning towards Zelena and Belle. "Can I stay with you guys then, please? I've missed my sister."

"Of course you can Roland," the brunette said as both she and her lover smiled brightly, "In fact if you want we can go shopping for some extra stuff for your room tomorrow."

"I'd like that," Roland said in a stronger voice than before.

"You hear that Monkey?" the redhead put an arm around her daughter's shoulder, "Roland's going to live with us now."

Her little eyes lit up. "Really?!" she squealed with excitement when they all nodded.

All of them laughed as Robyn ducked under the table and crawled to the other side. She stood up when she was by Roland and jumped into his arms. She was much smaller than him, but it was so unexpected that Roland lost his balance and they both fell back on the grass while giggling.

Regina smiled at the sight, yet there was some sadness in her eyes. She would be lying if she said she was not disappointed by Roland's choice.

Mal was quick to reach for Regina's hand under the table and leaned over to kiss her cheek as the siblings continued to roll around on the ground. "It's okay to be a little sad Poppet," she whispered.

The mayor squeezed the dragon's hand and nodded a thank you to her.

Emma, as she heard Mal whisper to their brunette lover, leaned back a little and waited for the kids to calm down some before speaking, "Roland?" the boy looked at her. "Just keep in mind that you'll always be welcomed at our place too. You can come spend the night any time you want."

"Yeah," Henry stood up enough to see the kids still sitting on the grass, "I need someone to stay around with me to help kick Ma's butt at Mario."

Roland laughed as Emma rolled her eyes, "Thanks, I'd really like that."

"I come too?" Neal leaned his head back so he was looking up at Mal.

"You already come to stay with us all the time silly boy," Neal started to giggle as the dragon tickled him.

Regina laughed as well before turning to Emma to give her a light kiss, "Thank you, Baby." She then smiled at Henry.

She loved how both her lovers and her son were just as taken with the boy as she was. Knowing that they were willing to take Roland in with her and was still welcoming the boy into their lives made her heart swell.

"Now that that's all decided you guys should go play a little more," Zelena said as she started to put away Robyn's crackers, "We'll have to head home soon."

With that, each of the kids took off with Henry chasing after them once again

* * *

Two weeks later, Regina was in the kitchen with Henry. She was just about to take the chocolate chip cookies out of the oven when the doorbell rang. Henry took the oven mitt from her, "I got 'em. You go let Roland and the little cookie monster in."

She laughed and thanked her son as she went stepped out of the kitchen and was met in the entryway by Mal coming down the stairs and Emma walking out of the living room. All of them were smiling, knowing who would be on the other side of the door.

As soon as Regina turned the doorknob, Roland ran straight to her and threw his arms around her waist and Neal was right behind him.

This was going to be the first time Roland was staying at the mansion for the weekend. It just happened to coincide with the weekend the Charming's chose to go way to stay in a cabin in the woods, just the two of them, so Neal was staying with them as well.

All three of the women knew they were probably in for an eventful time with both young boys staying with them, yet they also knew it would be fun. Especially with the surprise, they had in store for Roland.

As the boys moved to say hello to the blondes, Zelena walked in and sat down the boys overnight bags by the door before hugging her sister. "You sure you all can handle both of these little monsters at once?"

Regina laughed as she and her sister separated, "Hopefully with the three of us and Henry we will at least be evenly matched."

"Hey boys," Mal placed a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. "You two go on into the kitchen, Henry and Regina have been working on some snacks for you."

"Cookies!" Neal yelled as he and Roland went off towards the smell of chocolate chips.

"Let's go sit down," Regina led the other three women into the living room. "Have his nightmares gotten any better?" she asked as she and her lovers sat on the sofa and Zelena in the nearby chair.

Zelena and Belle had both told the others about being woken up every night by the sound of Roland crying. Maleficent had even come over a couple days after Roland had moved in so she could soundproof Robyn's room from the outside so that she would not be woken up as well.

The first few nights Roland ended up sleeping between the two women, but then he became determined to overcome them by himself, however, he had not seemed to have any success.

Zelena shook her head sadly, "No, and he still refuses to talk about them."

"He probably thinks that if he does it will all become more real," the sheriff said softly.

Maleficent bit her lip and looked away almost guiltily as she avoided eye contact with any of the others, hoping none of them would notice her expression.

The redhead nodded at Emma, "I know the three of you will be fine, but if anything happens...?"

"We'll call you Sis, I promise."

"Thank you," Zelena smiled and stood up. "I need to get going. Belle should be back from picking up Robyn from daycare."

"Okay. If nothing happens before then we can all meet up tomorrow." Emma said as she and the others stood. She and Mal hugged the former witch before Regina left the room with her to walk her out.

"Bye, boys," Zelena called into the kitchen as she and Regina reached the door.

Both kids came back into the room to hug Zelena good-bye.

Neal wrapped his little arms around the redhead's legs, "Bye-bye Ze-Ze! Thanks for pickings me up," he said politely with a mouth covered with chocolate chips.

Zelena rolled her eyes before sliding down on one knee and placed her hands on the boy's shoulders. "You're welcome, but it's 'Zelena' little one. Say it. 'Zah-lee-nah.'"

The little boy giggled, "Ze-Ze, you funny."

Regina had to cover her mouth to smother her laugh as the redhead hung her head in defeat.

The older women looked back up at her sister, "He'll say it correctly one day, right?"

"Doubt it," the brunette smirked.

Zelena sighed but smiled back at Neal and hugged him before he ran back to his plate of cookies. She then turned to Roland, "You sure you have everything you need for tonight?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Okay then, Belle and I will see you tomorrow love." She opened her arms wrapped the boy in a hug before she stood up, "Be good for Regina and the others, Roland. I love you."

Roland smiled up at her, "I love you too, Ma...Zelena," he blushed at his slip and quickly hugged Zelena around her waist once more before running off to join Neal.

The redhead turned to her sister with her eyes wide, "Did...did he almost call me...?

"Yes he did," Regina smiled, "Perhaps he's starting to get used to the idea of you and Belle being his parents."

Zelena grinned at the idea before another thought crossed her mind. "Are you okay with that? With all of this?"

The brunette was silent for a moment before she sighed and nodded, "There was a time when I saw myself as Roland's mother, and yes...it hurt a little when he wanted to live with you. But," she smiled and shrugged, "I'm content with being more of an aunt to him. I know that how great parents you and Belle are to Robyn and I have no doubt that you love that little boy just as much as you love her. Also," she smirked, "since I'm not his parent it gives me an excuse to spoil him more."

Zelena laughed, "I'm sure between all three of you that both of my children will be spoiled rotten." She stepped forward to hug her little sister. "Thank you, Regina, I love you."

"I love you too," she opened the door for her sister and said, "Drive safe," before kissing her on the cheek as the redhead walked out the door.

Regina quickly went to look in on the boys and saw that Henry had everything under control. She smiled at them before turning to go back to her lovers.

She walked in to find Emma sitting on the floor by the coffee table sorting a stack of board games to play with the boys later on that night. Every time the sheriff held up a game up and asked her blonde lover about it Mal would just nod her head and stay silent.

Emma heard Regina come in and looked at her worriedly as she nodded her head toward Mal, both realizing how quiet the other woman was being.

"Are you okay my cariño?" Regina sat down next to the dragon and reached for her hand.

Maleficent shook her head as if she was coming out of a trance but immediately righted herself and smiled weakly, "I'm fine Poppet."

Emma raised a brow, "Is this the part where we're supposed to pretend that we believe you?"

"Yes," the dragon mumbled.

The sheriff got up to sit on Mal's other side and held her other hand, "Well, that's not going to happen. What's up Beautiful?"

Maleficent closed her eyes briefly as she sighed. "I'm okay Kitten. Really I am," she looked to both Emma and Regina. "I just...I don't wish to talk about it right now."

Regina and Emma shared a look and nodded before the brunette spoke, "That's fine Mal. Just know that we're here when you need us."

Mal gave her a real smile that time, "I know Poppet. Thank you, both." She kissed the brunette and then the blonde laughed as Emma nuzzled into her neck when their kiss ended.

They heard the sound of young boys giggling and each of the women exchanged a mischievous grin on what they knew was coming. They had been planning it all week.

Roland and Neal appeared with Henry behind them. "Thank you for the cookies," both younger boys said at the same time.

"You're welcome," Mal grinned as she reached to wipe the crumbs from Neal's face. The sight of both of the kids smiling made her feel much better.

"Now," Emma leaned forward to with her elbows on her knees, "how would you guys like it if we all went out to play in the backyard?"

"There may be something special out there waiting for us. We got a little surprise to celebrate Roland being with us," Regina said as she placed an arm around Roland's waist.

"Really?" Roland looked to each of the women who nodded, "You didn't have to."

"We know, sweetie," Mal grinned at him, "but that doesn't mean we didn't want to get them for you." She reached over to brush some hair from the boy's face as he grinned back at her.

Neal went to stand in front of his sister and pushed on her shoulder as he jumped up and down, "What is it?!"

"Only one way to find out Little Dude," Emma grabbed her brother as she stood up only to place him on the couch where she had been sitting. "But you and Roland got to stay here with Henry for just a little bit longer."

Neal huffed and crossed his arms as he pouted. Henry and the women had the stifle their laughter at his reaction.

"Gives us two minutes and then bring them outside, please Henry," Regina asked as she and Mal stood up as well.

Henry narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but nodded, "Two minutes. Got it."

As the three women left to go outside the younger boys looked up at him, "Hey, I know just as much about what's going on as you two do," he shrugged.

Roland nodded as Neal huffed again. As they waited for the time to pass Henry had to practically hold his uncle to keep him from running outside.

When the time was up all three boys headed to the backyard. As soon as they walked out the door Henry scanned for Mal and his mothers but did not see them. He was about to shout out to them when he felt three soft orange darts hit him in the chest and stomach.

"Hey!"

He and the others heard giggling as Regina, Emma, and Maleficent all stepped out of their respective hiding places. Each had a large smile and a Nerf gun in hand.

Roland had always eyed the toys when he saw them on commercials, so the three had decided to order a few so all of them could have some fun with them.

Roland's eyes widened as he saw the three other identical Nerf guns propped next to the door. "Yes!" he barely had time to grab the toy before he was hit in the side with a dart too. "Hey!" he turned around only to see Emma laugh.

"Come on, men! It's battle time!" Henry shouted as he and Neal grabbed their guns. He did not waste any time shooting a dart at Regina's head making her shout and her lovers laugh.

All three boys jumped off the porch and went after the adults. The six of them laughed as they chased each other around the backyard until the sun started to go down.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day the entire family met up at the park once again. The original plan was to take the boys to the town's only movie theatre, but that changed when Roland and Neal both woke up asking if they could go somewhere else to play with their new Nerf guns. So the two of them chased Henry, Emma, and Zelena around the park shooting foam darts at them and dodging them in return.

The other three women sat on a nearby bench watching them. Mal sat in the middle with Regina's arm around her back. Robyn was playing with her toy cars on a blanket Belle had spread out in front of them.

"I see Roland was impressed with his gift," Belle smiled as the boy took a shot at Henry. "I'm glad he likes it so much."

"Likes it?" Mal smirked, "he slept with his under his blankets last night. We couldn't even pry it out of his hand."

All of them were laughing when Zelena ran up to them with five foam darts sticking out of her red curls. "I'm gonna kill that little blonde runt," she mumbled as she sat down next to her daughter and turned to Belle, "Help?" she pointed to her hair.

Belle and the others laughed again as she gently removed all the darts, "There, all better."

"Thank you, love," she tilted her head up to kiss the brunette before leaning against her legs. She turned to her sister and best friend. "Now that I'm over here, how was Roland last night?"

"He was fine actually," Regina said with relief, "we didn't hear anything from him all night."

"He was probably so worn out from yesterday that his mind allowed him to just stay asleep after we tucked him and Neal in," Mal smiled.

"I'm glad. He certainly deserved a night of peace," Belle looked down at her girlfriend both praying that the one good night for the boy would lead to others.

"Help please?"

They turn to see Neal standing next to Regina holding his Nerf gun that had a stick stuck in the barrel.

"Now, how did you even manage to do that?" the mayor asked as she took her arm from around Mal and reached out for the toy.

Neal only shrugged and smiled cutely at her.

"Finally, you slowed down," Emma ran up and kneeled behind her brother. "Hold still for two seconds okay Little Dude? You're about to run right out of your jeans." She tickled his tummy before she helped him fix his pants.

"Perhaps he's like his sister and prefers to go without them," Maleficent said making Regina giggle as she worked on removing the stick from the toy gun.

"Watch it Beautiful," Emma swatted Mal on her knee.

"Back to Roland for a minute," Zelena spoke with mirth before turning more serious. "Perhaps if we all keep up with these playful distractions for awhile then it could help Roland sleep as well as he did last night."

"He not sleep last night," Neal said casually as he accepted the toy back from Regina.

The others all instantly scrunched their brows. Zelena leaned more towards the boy, "What do you mean Neal?"

"Roland was awake when I woked up today. He said he..." Neal's eyes suddenly went wide and he covered his mouth with both hands. He parted his fingers to say, "I not supposed to tell that. He tolded me not to."

"Like mother like son," Regina muttered only to be nudged by her lovers.

"Neal," Belle waited for the boy to look her in the eye, "you won't be in trouble, okay? We won't tell him you told us, but we need to know what's going on with him, so we can help him."

Neal brought his hands down. He looked like he was thinking it over before deciding to talk, "He tolded that he didn't like to sleep, didn't want to see more bad stuff. And if he saw more bad stuff he'd be woked up and woke everyone else up too."

All the adults are silent as they shared troubled looks. The boy stood there for about a minute before asking, "I go play now?"

"Yes, sweetie of course," Regina forced a smile. "And thank you for telling us about Roland."

Neal nodded before running away from them to go play with Roland and Henry.

"So, much for the playful distractions," Zelena mumbled and dropped her head to Belle's knees. The brunette's hand automatically came up to brush through red curls.

"How can he be running around like that without any sleep?" Emma asked as she settled on the blanket in front of Regina.

"He's probably used to it," Regina spoke while her eyes were glued to the curly haired boy. "He and Robin camped out most nights, it's hard to get a good nights sleep on the forest floor."

Belle sighed, "We need to sit down with him and tell him that being scared is nothing to be ashamed of."

And to make sure he knows that he can never be a burden to any of us," Emma spoke. "I'm sure he's probably thinking that if he keeps waking people up that we'll eventually get upset with him over it.

"Sad."

They turn when they heard Robyn's voice to see that she is now standing right in front of Mal. That's when they notice that the dragon had been quiet since Neal left and now had her head down with tears falling onto her jeans.

"My cariño?" Regina placed her arm back around her waist and squeezed.

Emma moved to kneel beside where Robyn was standing, facing her blonde lover. "Beautiful? What is it?"

"I...I..." Mal sighed and wiped her face before looking at Zelena and Belle and nodding towards Robyn. She did not want to upset the young girl with her crying any longer.

Belle looked across the park where the kids were still playing, "Henry! Can you come here a moment?"

The teenager shot off one last dart at his uncle before running over, "What's up?"

"Could you take Robyn to the swingset while we talk for a moment, please?"

Henry scrunched his brow before he saw Mal and gave his mothers a concerned look. It was not until he received nods from both of them that everything was okay that he crouched down behind his cousin.

"Come on, Robyn. I'll push you really high on the swing."

"O'ay," the toddler stretched on her tiptoes to press her lips to Mal's cheek.

The dragon gave a watery smile and hugged Robyn before letting Henry take her over to the baby swing. "It's my fault," she said as soon as the two were out of earshot.

"What are you talking about?" Emma reached to take the dragon's hand into hers as she scooted closer to her.

"It's...it's my fault that Roland is suffering."

"Mal," Zelena spoke in a gentle voice she reserved only for her family, "how on earth could you be responsible for Roland's nightmares?"

"Robin he...he didn't leave Storybrooke just because he missed the forest," she mumbled while still looking at her knees. "I overheard him talking to John one day at Granny's while I was waiting for Lily. He was saying that he and Roland needed a fresh start somewhere else and that he wanted to take his daughter with him.

"I don't know if he was thinking of trying to do it legally or if he was just going to take her, but there was no way in hell I was going to allow him to take her away from her family." She looked up from staring at her knees when she felt her best friend grab her other hand and saw the redhead giving her a soft smile.

"What did you do?" Regina rubbed Mal's side as she asked.

"Robin left before John and I followed him. I took him into the ally by the diner and told him if he so much as thought again about taking Robyn from Zelena that there would be consequences. He tried to argue, but I think he realized I wasn't kidding when he saw the dragon's glow in my eyes. I told him he was welcomed to leave, that a lot of us would actually prefer it," she glanced at Regina. The brunette knew how much both of her lovers disliked her ex. "He said he would start trying to find a way back to the forest the next day.

"If...if I had not been so forceful about it, perhaps he would have at least stayed in this realm...Then that little boy would not be scared to sleep at night," the dragon finished with tears once again running down her cheeks over the guilt she felt for Roland.

Zelena silently motioned for Belle to scoot over enough so that she could squeeze in beside them to wrap her arms around her friend's shoulders.

"First off," she dipped her head down so that Mal would meet her eyes, "no one is blaming you for any of this. And second..." she kissed the blonde's head while squeezing her tighter, "thank you Maleficent, for helping me keep my daughter."

"I could never regret that Zelena," the blonde said trying to stop her tears, "I would do anything for you and Robyn...but if I hadn't threatened him..."

"It wouldn't have changed a damn thing, my cariño," Regina waited for Mal to look at her. "I knew Robin. He would not have given up easily. If you hadn't stopped him then one of us would have. And he was never going to stay in this realm. Even when we were together he talked about returning to the Enchanted Forrest. He would have left eventually, no matter what."

"If anything," Emma rubbed her thumb over Mal's knee, "you probably saved Robyn from being traumatized too. She cries for a good twenty minutes everytime Zelena and Belle drop her off with us or at daycare. Being in a strange place without her mom...she would have had way too much anxiety for a kid her age if Robin had gotten his way. He may not have meant to, but if he had taken her then it would have hurt her in the long run."

"So in other words," Belle leaned forward to look at the dragon, "this is not your fault Maleficent. In fact, I would say that you're the hero here."

Mal allowed Emma to reach up and wipe the last of her tears away before speaking, "I don't know about being a hero, but perhaps you all have a point. I just want to do everything I can to help Roland feel safe again. A child should not have to feel so much grief."

"All of us will do what we can for him, but first," Regina reached for Mal's chin to make her look at her, "please know that Roland knows you care for him."

"Angel's right. He knows that he can trust you Mal and that the only person responsible for his father's death was that idiot knight, not the dragon that who held him after he nodded off while playing Monopoly last night."

Mal gave a small smile remembering Roland falling asleep against her as they sat on the floor of the living room, the boy's Nerf gun still clutched in his hand.

Slowly, she sighed and nodded, "Yes, perhaps you are all right. Thank you." She may have squealed just a little, though she would never admit to it, when the other four women all wrapped arms around her in a group hug.

"Now," Emma gave Mal one quick kiss before turning back to their previous topic, "what should we do about the kid? We have to get him to try to sleep."

Regina had given Mal a kiss of her own while their lover spoke but then turned to her sister and Belle. "Why don't the two of you come home with us after this? We can have Henry watch Neal and Robyn so that we can all talk to him. Perhaps if we all tell him that he could never be a burden then he'll believe it."

"Sounds good," the redhead nodded.

"Thank you all for helping with Roland," Belle said with a sincere smile. "You have made this much easier for all of us."

"You two may be playing the role of his parents, but we will always be here for him and for you as well," Mal smiled, the last of her tears finally gone.

"There we all go being mushy again," Zelena mumbled with a grin.

"And you love it," Belle said nuzzling into Zelena's neck and kissing her there.

The other three giggled as Zelena melted while putting one arm around Belle.

"Hey, I just thought of something," the sheriff said suddenly.

"How much did it hurt?" Zelena said earning a dirty look from Emma a nudge from Belle.

The blonde shook her head at the former witch's sarcasm and continued, "What if we find a way to show Roland that everything going on is here for good? That he's a permanent part of our family?"

"How so?" Mal asked with a raised brow.

"Well," Regina spoke up, "we can start by showing him the paperwork that you two, have been filling out," she nodded to her sister and Belle. "He's old enough to understand it and," she paused and swallowed before continuing, "it helped make it real for Henry when I told him he was adopted."

She smiled softly when her lovers leaned over to kiss her cheeks. Both knew that Henry finding out about his adoption was not one of Regina's best memories.

"That's a good start," Zelena said thankfully to her little sister, "Then we will just have to let him know that if his nightmares continue that it's okay definitely afraid."

"And that we will always be there for him when those nightmares happen," Belle said firmly. "He has to know that he'll always have us."

"He will," Zelena said reassuringly as she leaned her head down to kiss Belle.

"Well, now that that's all decided," Emma reached behind her casually before quickly grabbing the Nerf gun she had dropped there. She immediately smirked and aimed it at Zelena, firing another dart into her hair, "Let the games continue."

She screeched and ran off toward's her brother and Roland as Zelena jumped to her feet and ran after her after grabbing her own Nerf gun up again.

The others laughed at them before Belle stood to go relieve Henry from babysitting so he could go join them again as well.

Mal sighed and scooted down in her seat enough so she could let her head rest on Regina's shoulder as they watched their family running around. "Poppet? Do you think Roland will be okay?"

"With all of us being there for him?" she kissed Mal's hair, "I have no doubt in my mind that he will. It may take time, but he'll get there." She moved her head enough to lock her brown eye's with the dragon's blue, "You really aren't at fault for this you know? No one can blame you for how you reacted or how Robin responded."

"I think I see that now, thanks to all of you," she smiled before giving a playful scowl. "Zelena's right. We are all becoming mushy."

The both giggled as Regina held Mal tighter. "And none of us would have in any other way," she kissed the blonde once more before they both turned back and laughed as they saw that Zelena had finally cornered Emma by the monkey bars and was shooting about a dozen darts into her blonde locks.

* * *

"Roland? Can we speak to you please?" Belle asked as they all entered the mansion.

They had already told Henry about their plans to speak with Roland about his sleepless night. So the older boy took Neal and Robyn upstairs to watch a movie in his room so the rest of their family could talk.

Roland was about to follow them up the stairs before Belle spoke. He followed the women into the living room, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, sweetie," Zelena grabbed the little boys hand and guided him to the middle of the sofa. She and Belle sat on either side of him while Emma and Regina shared an oversized chair that the blonde had insisted on getting when she moved in. Mal sat perched on the arm of the chair by Regina. All three had planned on staying out of the conversation until they were needed.

Roland frowned as he looked at all five women, still wondering if he was in trouble for something.

"We just need you to be honest with us. Can you do that please?" the redhead asked with a smile.

When the boy nodded, Belle placed an arm around his shoulder. "Did you sleep last night Roland?"

The boy's eyes went wide at getting caught. He swallowed and looked down at his feet as he shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Zelena asked only to be met with a shrug.

Belle placed her hand on Roland's chin to gently tilt his head up, "Sweetheart, you know you could've gone to Regina, Mal, and Emma or you could've called one of us if you were scared."

"I wasn't."

Each set of lover's exchanged confused looks at Roland's confession.

"What do you mean?" Belle asked.

"I was scared at first, but that stopped after the first few nights that you guys let me sleep with you. Since then...the nightmares have been about...something else," he mumbled.

"What were they about love?" the brunette ran her hand through Roland's curls only to have the boy shrug again in response.

"Roland please," Zelena coaxed him, "we want to know what's going on so we can help you."

Roland bit his lip and sighed, for a moment he looked much older than seven. Then he started talking while looking down at his shoes.

"I hated it when Dad said we were going back to go live in the Enchanted Forrest again. I never said anything to him because I knew how much being there meant to him, but I always liked Storybrooke more. I'm happy to be back here, but..."

"Go on sweetie," Belle prompted after Roland trailed off.

"I kept...I kept wishing I could come back here. Once a month wasn't enough for me," the boy started to sniffle and tried his best to keep from crying. "I...would wish every night to come back to Storybrooke for good. I got my wish, but my Dad died for it happen. I...I didn't...didn't want Daddy dead, I just wanted to come back home." With that, the tears he had fought started to fall.

Immediately, Zelena and Belle sandwiched him between them, both of them holding him tightly. The other three women also held onto each other. All of their hearts broke at knowing that it was not fear that was causing Roland's nightmares, it was guilt.

After a few minutes of her and Belle whispering softly to him and holding him, Zelena drew back just enough to talk to the boy.

"Roland, look at me please," she said it gently, yet still sternly enough that the boy tilted his head up. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you wanting to be where you feel the most comfortable, where you're most happy. And what happened to your father was in no way your fault."

"But maybe if I hadn't wished so hard..."

"Nothing would have changed," Belle's voice was so soft the others could barely hear her. "There was nothing anyone could have done. What you need to remember Roland, is that your father loved you very, very much. And just like any good parent, he would want you to be happy, not overwhelmed with guilt over something that was not your fault."

"Even if..." Roland trailed off and bit his lip.

"If?" Zelena prompted while running her hand through the boy's curls.

"Even if I like the idea of you two being my parents?"

The two lovers exchanged happy, surprised looks before the boy started speaking again.

"I love my dad and I still wish he was here, but I like how you," he looked at the brunette, "read to me and Robyn every night and how you," he turned to the redhead, "make me laugh so much. Especially when you cuddle with me while watching Disney movies and make fun of songs, although I still think you actually like them," he grinned at her before looking over at the other three women. "I love my uncles, and I know they love me, but they aren't like the three of you. They don't run around and play with me like Emma does, or cook as well as Regina, or listen as well as Mal.

"I miss my dad, but I love you guys too, all of you...Does that make me a bad son? For thinking of you guys as my parents and liking it here with you more than I did in the forest with my dad? Because that's what the nightmares have been about. My dad saying that I don't love him anymore and that I'm glad he's gone because I'm here with you. I never wanted him to die though, I swear!"

"Oh, Roland, no. You are absolutely not a bad son," Zelena spoke as she squeezed him gently and Belle kissed his head. "You can't help how you feel. Your father would want you to be with people you love and where you feel at home. No matter what."

"Do..." Roland spoke tentatively, "do you think it's okay that I want to call you guys 'Mom' and 'Mama?'"

The two of them share a watery smile at the question, both of them feeling tears of joy in their eyes.

"Roland," Belle said, "as long as you feel comfortable with that, then so do we. I'm sure your father would be glad to know you had someone you trusted looking after you."

"You're both really okay with that? I know I'm not really your son."

"Sweetheart," Zelena placed her hand on Roland's cheek, "nothing would make us happier. As far as either of us are concerned you are our son, Roland. And we love you more than we can say."

Roland wiped his tears as he smiled bigger than he had all day, "I love you too Mama, Mom." He laughed as he was once again put into a large group hug by the two.

After they all pulled away Roland looked over at the others to see they were all smiling at them with small tears in their eyes. "Does this mean I can call you guys my aunts?"

They all nodded fiercely as the blondes finally let go of Regina. She had felt the urge to go over and join the first hug when Roland was so upset, but her lovers held her, whispering to her that he needed his mothers to handle it.

When they let go of her, Regina she practically ran across the room and kneeled in front of the boy and hugged him tightly. "We would love that Roland. We love you so, so much."

After she kissed his head Roland pulled back from Regina, smiling from ear to ear. He looked past her to see Emma and Mal standing in front of the couch now. He jumped up to hug them as well.

"This means we're like a real family right?" Roland looked to his mothers after hugging the two blondes.

"We were already a real family, Roland," Belle smiled. "However, we did want to make it official," she nodded towards Regina who stood up and reached for her bag.

The mayor pulled out the paperwork that Zelena and Belle had already signed. They were all thankful that they lived in a place that did not technically exist outside the town line. Because of that, they did not have to go through all the legal channels Regina did when she adopted a baby from the outside world. A piece of paper filed at city hall was all that was needed.

"What's that?"

Zelena took the papers from her sister and leaned forward as she held it up to Roland. "This is your adoption paperwork that Belle and I signed. You are our son, Roland and with this, it becomes legal."

"Nobody can say that your not part of this family sweetheart," Belle said. "You will always have the two of us, your aunts, your sister, and your big cousin. So you will never have to go back to the Enchanted Forrest unless you want to."

Roland was quiet for a moment and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the one item he had kept with him since coming to Storybrooke. A magic bean. His uncle John had given it to him in case he wanted to return. He didn't.

"Then I won't be needing this. Can you keep it in your vault Aunt Regina?"

"Of course," Regina took the bean from Roland and vanished it to her vault.

The boy smiled before turning to his mama, "There's one last thing I want to ask."

"What is it, love?"

"When Robyn gets older, can I teach her how to shoot an arrow like our dad taught me? He told me once how he was looking forward to teaching her. I'd still like her to have that part of him, just like I do."

Zelena and Belle both smiled proudly at him before the redhead spoke, "I think that would be an amazing thing for you to do for her, Roland. For her and for your father."

"Now that all that is done," Mal spoke up with a smile, "how about a quick snack? There are still some cookies left from yesterday."

"And afterward," Emma smirked mischievously, "we can go out back and exchange those Nerf guns for water pistols? Perks of having transforming magic."

"I'd love that," Roland's eyes were big with excitement while the others rolled their eyes and giggled, only Emma would think of that.

"Well, that can wait until after a nice snack," Regina ruffled the boy's hair.

"Cookies?" Neal suddenly came running down the stairs with a grin.

"Henry's right," Mal whispered to the sheriff, "he really is a little cookie monster."

Emma nodded with a grin and went to pick up her brother, "Alright Little Dude, but you can only have two cookies okay? Mom would kill us if she found out how many we let you have yesterday."

Neal pouted again but nodded, thinking two cookies were better than none.

"We'll join you in a bit," Zelena called after her sister and her lovers as they took the boys into the kitchen.

"Well," Belle scooted over to the redhead and kissed her, "we are now officially the parents of a little beautiful boy."

"Yes, we are." Zelena pulled Belle closer to her. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" she asked looking directly into Belle's eyes.

"Of course I am! Zelena, this was all I ever wanted. I have someone who loves and stands by me no matter what, and two adorable children that I love like they were my own. It's perfect. And I can't thank you enough for giving me this life."

The redhead smiled and tilted her head until her forehead touched brunette's. "You're the one that I should be thanking, Belle. My life was one bad decision after another, but now...I have the family I always dreamed of. I have my sister, my best friend, my nephew, a fun yet pain in my ass sheriff," she mumbled the last part with a smile as Belle laughed, "I have you, Robyn, and now Roland. I love you all so much I can't even say. And I can't thank you enough for agreeing to be in my life, but...I would like to try."

She pulled away and grabbed the adoption papers she had placed on the coffee table. Zelena took away one section of the papers revealing the second set behind it.

"What's this?" Belle asked as Zelena handed her the papers.

"Robyn's adoption paperwork."

Belle's eyes went wide making her lover smile. "Are you serious?" her voice was quiet and soft with amazement.

"We are both the legal parents of Roland and with this, we can both be Robyn's as well. That is if you would wan..."

She was cut off by Belle pushing herself forward and crashing her lips against Zelena's. The smaller woman felt her lover melt against her as their arms wrapped around each other.

"It's exactly what I want," Belle said with tears in her eyes as they pulled apart.

"Well then..." Zelena reached for a pen left on the coffee table.

Belle's grin could not have been bigger as she signed her name. Zelena's smile matched her lover's as she tucked both sets of adoption papers back into her sister's purse so that she could file them the next day.

"We're a family," she whispered as she opened her arms and had the brunette snuggle into her side.

"Yes, my love. We are," Belle closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss Zelena again...but when they felt a small weight appear on their laps.

They looked down to see two water pistol just before they both felt a stream of water hit them from behind causing them to shriek.

Emma stood behind the couch with her brother, each holding new water guns in their hand. "I just remembered that we have cleaning magic too. No need to wait until we're outside," the blonde smirked as Neal giggled.

"You little...," Zelena mumbled before she felt another stream of water hit her side. She turned to see her son standing next to the couch with a water gun of his own.

"Sorry, Mama. Aunt Mal dared me too."

"Oh, did she now?" the redhead narrowed her eyes at the dragon who had just entered the room with her sister. Both women were trying not to laugh and failing at it miserably.

"Yep, just like Aunt Regina dared me to do this," he then aimed at his mom and shot in the face with water.

Belle gasped as everyone else, Zelena included, giggled at the sight. "Alright," she wiped her face with her hand before taking her own water pistol in hand, "it's on."

She jumped up and ran after her son while Zelena went after Charming siblings.

Regina and Mal followed them out to the backyard where they could run around better. "Henry! Get down here, we'll need some reinforcements," the mayor yelled up the stairs.

Soon Robyn was playing in the puddles formed by the rest of her crazy yet loving family racing around the backyard.

Roland stood for a moment and looked around and he knew two things for sure. One, that he was not going to go back to the forest anytime soon. He loved his uncles and would miss them, but this is where he belonged. And two, he would definitely be sleeping that night.

He was shocked out of his thoughts by both his parents coming up behind him and squirting him in the back. Roland turned with his big dimpled smile as he squirted them back. Beside them, Regina, Henry, and Neal had ganged up on Mal, Emma, drenching them both more than they already were.

They were a little crazy, but they were still a family and all of them wished for many more days like that in the future.


End file.
